MSNBC's O'Donnell Rips Ann Romney For Ignoring 'Struggling' Women Who Rely on Government

MSNBC 's immediate reaction to Ann Romney's Tuesday night speech at the Republican National Convention was to stick by the left-wing talking point that she can't relate to ordinary Americans, especially women. Lawrence O'Donnell seconded Rachel Maddow's claim that Mrs. Romney "has not had most women's economic experiences," and went further: "She began her speech...by talking about women's struggles in this economy and in life that she, actually, in her life, doesn't know anything about."

O'Donnell then blasted the Republican presidential candidate's wife for supposedly disregarding women who have taken government assistance in their lives: "The one population that was specifically excluded from her discussion of women's struggles in this society was any woman who needed, at any point in her life, to rely on any form of government assistance - be it food stamps; be it temporary welfare assistance; be it any form of support whatsoever that any government has ever provided for a struggling woman at any time in her life. That population was completely ignored in this speech." [audio available here; video below the jump]

Earlier, the MSNBC host claimed that the crowd didn't react to Mrs. Romney like they had to Sarah Palin four years earlier: "I've seen emotional reactions to speeches. This wasn't one of them. This was the mandatory reaction they were cheering. It was nothing like – nothing like this very same crowd's reaction to Sarah Palin's speech, for example, four years ago, and nothing like reactions we've seen – emotional reactions we've seen in many other convention halls."

The transcript of Lawrence O'Donnell's segment from MSNBC's Tuesday night coverage of the Republican National Convention:

O'DONNELL: I've been in these halls for over 20 years now. I've seen emotional reactions to speeches. This wasn't one of them. This was the mandatory reaction they were cheering. It was nothing like – nothing like this very same crowd's reaction to Sarah Palin's speech, for example, four years ago, and nothing like reactions we've seen – emotional reactions we've seen in many other convention halls.

I was struck, as you were, Rachel, as she began her speech, trying to relate to women, by talking about women's struggles in this economy and in life, that she actually, in her life, doesn't know anything about. The one population that was specifically excluded from her discussion of women's struggles in this society was any woman who needed, at any point in her life, to rely on any form of government assistance - be it food stamps; be it temporary welfare assistance; be it any form of support whatsoever that any government has ever provided for a struggling woman at any time in her life. That population was completely ignored in this speech.